Whole30: Day 10 Recap

From August 1 through August 23, I’m documenting my Whole30, including the when, what, where, and how much of my sleep, activity, food, and mood. Read about why I’m doing the Whole30 right here. Not familiar with the Whole30? Learn all about it here and get extra help with the Whole30 Daily.

Whole30: Day 10

I slept great last night and woke up ready to go to the gym. My workout was mostly OK, although I struggled with my emotions around wanting to be leaner NOW. I should not be thinking about that when I’m at the gym. I mean, really. It is totally counter-productive to be bagging on myself while I’m trying to lift heavy weights. Bad Mel!

Kundalini yoga was awesome, and then things kind of slid downhill from there. I should have been writing my Dummies book, but I felt unmotivated, so I wrote blog posts instead. I was feeling all kinds of frustrated about that until I realized that writing about my workout and my thyroid update was kind of essential for helping me deal with what I’m thinking and feeling right now.

Overwhelming message of the day: Some days are just like this. (See: Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good Very Bad Day.) And today wasn’t even terrible. It just… was.

Sleep
8 hours — 10:30 to 6:30. Solid, uninterrupted, restless, yummy sleep.

Activity
Strength training: Back squats and bench press today! See my Strength Friday post for details.

Kundalini Yoga: It was another challenging kundalini class, culminating in a 14-minute meditation that involved arm circles that, once again, set my shoulders on fire. We went really deep into meditative breathing in our kriyas (exercises) and the formal meditation portion of class was also deep, so I was feeling super groovy when I left Yoga Yoga.

Food
I’ve found my appetite is less ravenous, and I feel better if I eat in a 11-hour window — usually between 9:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. so I can stop eating about 2-3 hours before going to bed — and don’t snack between meals or before bed. Because I’m dealing with my thyroid experiment, I’m measuring and tracking my food right now. I aim for 40% fat, 30% protein, 30% carbs.

Breakfast, 9:30 a.m.
4 ounces boneless, skinless chicken thighs + 1 cup chopped steamed broccoli + 1 cup chopped steamed cauliflower + 1 teaspoon olive oil + 1 tablespoon homemade pesto

Lunch, 2:30 p.m.
4 ounces lean lamb cubes + 1 cup yellow squash + 1/2 cup sweet potatoes + 1 teaspoon coconut oil + Ras el Hanout
1 cup snap peas
1 cup watermelon

Dinner, 8:00 p.m. (repeat of Day 9 ’cause it was so good)
1 cup Chocolate Chili + 1 cup spaghetti squash
salad: lettuce, 1/4 sweet onion, 2 small bell peppers, 1/2 tablespoon olive oil, 1/2 tablespoon red wine vinegar, 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup watermelon

Mood
Let’s go with a bunch of adjectives that will contradict each other; it was that kind of day. Optimistic/frustrated. Hopeful/anxious. Busy/lazy. Alert/unfocused. Introspective/talkative.

Photo of the Day
When life is a challenge, I can always rely on Smudge’s belly, and that is good.

Song of the Day
Follow the Leader, Wisin & Yandel, with Jennifer Lopez
I have a Jennifer Lopez thing, and it’s only gotten worse over the last few months as she’s cranked out irresistibly pop-y singles. I listen to her songs when I walk, when I cook, when I run, when I work — and when I want to try to channel my inner diva. As a treat, Dave spent a ridiculous amount of money on tickets to take me to see her in San Antonio in a few weeks. I dare you to not want to get wiggly and/or practice your mad parkour skillz when you listen to this song.

How was your Day 10?